Convictions
by TreeToad511
Summary: A tauradonna oneshot. Blake finds Adam in the woods. All of team RWBY ends up meeting him!


Blake's cat ears pricked up at the sound of someone panting. They were definitely male. And in pain. She rushed forward eager to help anyone in need. She pushed into a clearing of trees. She certainly wasn't prepared for who she was going to meet.

"Adam."

He turned his head at the sound of her voice. A wry grin spread across his face. He looked terrible. His shirt and coat were soaked in blood. His blood. From what Blake could tell the blood was centered around his chest and shoulder.

The rest of team RWBY were off helping others in the disaster zone. A large group of grimm had attacked a small village. The village was one of the few in the area that treated faunus like equals. That was probably why Adam was even here. Despite his homicidal tendencies he still cared deeply about faunus.

"How were you injured?" Blake asked. Anything that could injure Adam so well was a big threat. If Adam hadn't taken it down Blake doubted team RWBY could. His power was off the charts.

"Doesn't matter." Adam winced and shifted. His back was leaned against a tree. His weapon was held loosely in his left hand, while his right tried to staunch the flow of blood. "Go away, Blake."

Blake stiffened at his words. Adam didn't want her there. "Why?"

Adam turned his head to get a good look at her, wincing when his shoulder acted up. "I don't think blondie would be too happy to see me."

Blake's eyes widened at the memory. Yang flying through the air to save her and Adam mercilessly cutting off her arm. Blake's hands clenched into fists. She wanted to hit Adam, wanted to make him pay. But at the same time he had come to help others. At least that's what she thought.

"Why are you here?" Blake took him in again. Bloody, tired, and done with her.

"Faunus needed my help." His answer was so simple, yet so confounding.

"I thought you only cared about yourself." Blake knew the words stung and it felt good to know that she could still hurt him. No matter how small the wound. Remorse gnawed at her. She shouldn't be trying to hurt Adam. He had come here to help people, right?

"Wrong." Adam spat. "I care about the faunus' cause. More so than I care about my life." He looked like he wanted to say more, but his wound was clearly bothersome. Adam took a few steps forward then stumbled to his knees.

"Adam!" Blake rushed forward forgetting about how much she tried to hate him. Forgetting about the way he had hurt her friends. Forgetting about the way he had hurt _her_. But also remembering the way he had smiled at her and told her his inhibitions and worries. Remembering how much he cared about _their_ kind.

She kneeled down and placed her hands on his shoulders. He lifted his head up to look at her, his mask glinting in the setting sun.

"Go ahead, Blake. Kill me." Blake knew that she could hurt him with just words. She had forgotten that he could do the exact same thing to her. Anger bubbled up. He thought she intended to kill him? She was tempted to slap him, but violence had always been his way, not hers. She would show him that kindness could win.

"No."

"Not even after all I've done? You are something else, Blake." Adam coughed, causing blood to splatter on the ground.

"Come on let's get you fixed up." Blake carefully stood up. Adam let her bring him with her. Blake didn't know wether to be encouraged or discouraged by that. She shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts. It was time to make camp.

Adam's wounds were far more severe than Blake had originally thought. A diagonal slash went from his shoulder to the end of his rib cage, lancing across his chest. He had also lost a lot of blood.

Blake had a fire going. She had taken off Adam's shirt and jacket, they were ruined anyway. He was laying on a blanket, on his back, looking into the fire. Blake was currently soaking a cloth in cold in a bowl of cold water. The temperature of Adam's skin was heating up at an alarming rate.

Blake leaned forward. She started to gently wipe off the dried blood around Adam's wound. The wound itself was ugly. It was red and swollen. Adam's body shone with a layer of sweat.

Blake had just finished cleaning the wound and was moving on to bandaging it, when team RWBY arrived. They came bursting in through the foliage, shouting and yelling her name. Yang was the first one through followed by Ruby and Weiss. Yang froze at the sight of Adam.

"Get away from her!" Yang took up a defensive stance frantically glancing from Adam to Blake.

"Nice to see you too, blondie." Adam coughed up more blood right after his sentence. Even though he was on the ground and coughing up blood, Yang still appeared terrified.

"I said, get away!" She glared daggers at him. Poor Ruby and Weiss didn't know quite what to do.

"You think I'm in the condition to move?" Adam sounded mocking. Like he still thought he could beat Yang in a fight. With a grimace Adam sat up ignoring Blake's protests. "Last I check she was the one who decided to stay."

"Get away from my friend!" With a yell Yang launched herself towards Adam, fists raised to fight him.

"STOP!" Weiss of all people was the one who said that. "I don't know who that is." She gestured to Adam. "But Blake is clearly helping him. We shouldn't be attacking someone who is injured. Even if they are a member of the White Fang." Her speech made Yang stop and Adam snort.

"You should listen to the heiress." He resumed gazing into the fire.

"Just who are you anyway?" Weiss said.

"He's Adam." Blake looked at each member of her team, gauging their reactions. They seemed to all take a moment to react.

"Wait, him?!"

"You're the one that cut Yang's arm off!"

"Why are you helping him?"

Yang was the one who yelled out the last part. She looked mad, really mad. Ruby did too. And Weiss.

"I-I don't know." Blake hung her head in shame. She was helping the enemy. There was nothing else to it. She should have left him. Or killed him like he suggested. "I don't know why I'm helping him after all he's done. I'm just holding on to the past." Tears welled up in Blake's eyes after the last part.

She was startled by a strong hand closing over hers.

"You should never be ashamed of the past. Because of the past we are who we are now. Because of the past you are the amazing and compassionate person you are now." Adam smiled softly and squeezed her hand.

"Never be ashamed of who you are. I'm the one that should be ashamed. I'm the one who hurt you." He was completely ignoring the rest of team RWBY. He just wanted Blake to understand what he was trying to say.

"Go with your team. You- you should stay away from me." He hung his head and gritted his teeth. The last part was clearly hard to get out.

"No." Blake held his hand firmly and refused to let go. "I will help you. You're right I shouldn't be ashamed of who I am. You hurt people, but I try to help them. I'm going to help you whether you want it or not." She turned to look at the others. "I'm not moving."

"He tried to kill you!" Yang protested.

"Blake is right." Ruby placed her hand on Yang's shoulder. "We should help people, no matter how dangerous they are. You can wait for use back in the village if you want, Yang."

Yang shook her head and clenched her fists. "I'm not leaving you."

Weiss nodded as well. "I agree. But-" She shot a look at Adam. "If you try anything fishy I'll stab you."

With that done, team RWBY settled down for the night. Everything was much quieter than usual. Blake had finished bandaging Adam. He sat staring into the fire. They had offered him food but he had declined. He still had his mask on.

"Since we're, you know, helping you would you please take your mask off?" Weiss was the first one to break the silence.

"No." Adam didn't even bother to look at her.

"Adam." Blake chided.

"What?" He actually looked at her.

"Come on let them see you face."

"They won't like." Adam stared at Weiss when he said that.

"I wanna see it!" Ruby leaned forward, eyes shining.

Adam looked at Blake again and she nodded her head. He sighed and reached up mumbling something along the lines of 'silly children'. They weren't _that _much younger then him. He pulled it off his face and stared straight at Weiss.

The gasps that followed were not surprising. Weiss was the most shocked of them all.

"How?" Her hands covered her mouth. Tears leaked out from the corners of her eyes.

"Your anger is starting to make sense." Yang peered closer. "How did it get there?"

"It doesn't matter" Adam said harshly. He turned back to the fire, but didn't put his mask back on.

Team RWBY had taken turns as watch. It was currently Blake's turn. Early morning. Adam would wake up soon. Blake knew him too well.

Sure enough she saw Adam stir. He soundlessly slipped into his shirt and jacket, covering the stained bandages around his firmly put his mask back into its place. He picked up his weapon, looked around, then headed straight for the tree Blake was perched in. He stopped at the base and looked up.

"Thank you." Those simple words brought tears to Blake's eyes. She dropped down to the ground right in front of him.

"You could try to get into Beacon. I did it. You could." She was pulling at strings, not wanting him to go. Adam smiled softly and cradled her cheek in his hand.

"You know I have convictions. I can't stay here. The White Fang needs me." He reached up with his other hand and took off his mask. Now he was looking directly into her eyes.

"I need you." The words slipped out. Blake didn't know where the had come from. They just came out of her. Adam's eyes widened slightly at her words.

"Blake." He sounded truly sad to leave. He sounded like he didn't want to leave her. "I'm sorry."

Tears slid down her face. His thumb gently brushed her tears away.

"Will we have to fight again?" Blake was tired of trying to kill one of her closest friends.

"Have you changed you mind?" She shook her head. Her ears laid down flat against her skull. She didn't want to hear what he was going to say next.

"Then I'm afraid we will." He seemed just as sad as her. But their separate convictions kept them apart.

Blake sniffed and nodded. She was starting to hate goodbyes. Adam smiled and wiped her cheek with his thumb again. He too didn't want to say goodbye.

She stood on her tiptoes, held his face in her hands and kissed him. It was short and sweet. They both knew that was all they could be. Short, sweet, and full of tears.

"Goodbye, Adam."

"Goodbye, Blake."


End file.
